Meet our Leadership Team

Sabrina L. Gates, Principal​"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". --Nelson Mandela

Sabrina L. Gates is the principal of Beulah Shoesmith Elementary School. She received her BA in English from Elmhurst College and eventually earned advanced degrees in Curriculum and Instruction, Reading, and Educational Leadership from National Louis University.

She is a member of several education organizations and has presented for the International Reading Association and Illinois Reading Council.

Ms. Gates has been fortunate that her career and life's mission are aligned: improve and change the world by educating children. In her 20 plus years as an educator, she has worked in private and public school settings as teacher, reading specialist, reading coach, staff developer, coach, and administrator. She has worked at the local school and network levels in Chicago Public Schools.

The most rewarding part of her work is seeing the vision and mission of the school in action: students working collaboratively, engaging in high levels of discourse, performing for parents and community, and losing themselves in great books. The hugs she gets daily from students are a bonus.

Ms. Gates spends time reading about 3 books at a time (professional, pleasure, spiritual). In the little spare time she has, she is learning to garden and line dance.

She has a son, Bryce, who is her life's greatest joy and best traveling companion. She enjoys spending time doing mom stuff, reading with her son and playing the Wii.

Ashley Keine, Assistant Principal​​"A life without cause, is a life without effect." --Paulo Coelho

Ashley Keine has been a Shoesmith Honeybee for over tens years. She obtained a BA in Elementary Education from Michigan State University and later earned a Master’s Degree from Michigan State in Educational Technology and a Master's in Educational Leadership from University of Phoenix. She taught second grade at Shoesmith for six years, served as Shoesmith's Director of Curriculum and Instruction for three years and is excited to now be serving at Shoesmith's Assistant Principal.

She participated in the MSU-WIPRO STEM Fellowship cohort during the 2014-2015 school year. It was a year-long program that exposed educators to innovative ways of teaching STEM content in their classrooms. She also participated in the Boundless Readers Program for three years and was a Golden Apple Nominee in 2016.

She had the wonderful opportunity to study and teach abroad in South Africa, a truly life-changing experience. She is a huge supporter of the Fine Arts, as it contributed to her love of singing since a very young age. She is also an avid reader and is very passionate about every child finding that book that helps them fall in love with reading. Often times, you will find her in the Barnes and Noble children’s section, sitting on the floor, immersed in children’s literature.Through her experiences in her educational career thus far, she emphasizes the need to make learning meaningful, differentiate learning to meet the needs of all students, and the importance of supporting the whole child to achieve both academic and social-emotional success. She is a proud Honeybee and is blessed to call "The Hive" her home!